Strange Friendship
by ZejiHydra
Summary: I'm sure there has been plenty of Zerg fics before. This is my attempt at a ZergTerran relations fiction, so yes, R&R!


Disclaimer: No, I do not own starcraft, but I do have a SC CD. Meh...

_-----_

_"He who saves a life, saves the world" _

- Jewish saying.

-----

I was an outcast.

My face, my entire body, my inner soul, was covered in scars.

I shouldn't even be alive. But yet, I still managed to live on. The accident sent my family into early graves, but I somehow survived both the physical wounds and the emotional pain that racked me for years.

Life. What is the use of life if you are to die sooner or later?

But one day, I was awakened from my disillusionment of life.

Doctors are revered across the Terran Confedracy. Be it medics who serve out troops, civil doctors who keep the population healthy, or a wealthy landowner's private surgeon, they are held in high regard within the hearts of the people. Even if they lengthen life for a few short days.

A doctor repaired me. He reattached my limbs, patched up my burnt skin, and breathed sacred life into my dead body. I was inspired to follow his footsteps, to become a great doctor, to save lives.

-----

I started to practice the way of medicine in my humble cottage, near the ocean beach and far from civilization.

My face still bears the remains of the extensive surgery I went through, and it was not a very pleasant site to look at. I was shunned by the general population, and I could not live within the city limits, or anywhere near it.

During that time, I tied the bonds of friendship with a strange fellow.

A creature, lying wounded in a small tide pool on the beach. It was unlike any animal I've seen before, bearing sharp claws, serrated fangs, and a hard shell-like body. It had several bullet holes, indicating some farmer or hunter shot it, and a long wide gash across its sides, and the wound was bleeding profusely, and the creature was dying.

"What happened you, my friend?" I approached it, and saw that it did not even try to struggle. "I'll be right back, don't you dare move." Foolish. I knew plainly that the creature cannot move.

I brought my medical kits and tools, and prepared to work.

"Heh heh heh, the irony." I chuckled a bit. "You're my first customer. Business around here is very bad, you know. Today, for being my first patient, I'll let you get this for free. But if you come here again, then I'll be forced to charge you."

My hands moved across the foreign carapace, studying the creature's anatomy. My hands felt alive, spirited, energized, while working on my first patient. The dexterous fingers danced across the thing's skin, and soon had the gash cleaned and sewed. The bullets did not penetrate far, thanks to the creature's thick carapace. I removed the lead balls and closed the bullet holes.

"There you go." The creature gave a small growl, as if thanking me. "You won't die from blood loss. Just stay there for four five days, and you'll be as good as new."

-----

The next day, I checked the same tide pool to discover that the creature had disappeared.

A splash, and the creature was next to me, smiling, showing off its array of razor-sharp teeth.

"Hey, you're injured, don't go moving around too much now!" But to my surprise, when I removed the bandages, his wounds were completely recovered. "I guess its true that animals regenerate faster then humans."

The animal emitted a low shrieking sound, not at all threatening. It opened its mouth to reveal a pearl.

Astounded by this gift, I graciously accepted it, and watched the creature splash into the waves and hop around playfully, just like a little children. Then it rose up from the water, took a glance at me, and raced into the forest.

-----

From then on, my relation with it continued. The location of the date was always the same: the tide pool.

"You hurt yourself again? What's this¡Kdid someone whack you with a rock?" Its head held a gigantic bump, which was turning a rather unnatural color. I put one hand over it, and the creature screamed out in pain.

"A troublemaker like you would visit the hospital regularly I bet." I inserted sedatives, and the creature's squirming ceased. "Man, I should become a veterinarian. Surgery is done sir, may I ask for my payment?" I asked mockingly. The creature jumped out, knocking myself from my feet, and presented to me, another pearl. "You sure are prepared, I lose." The creature growled in pleasure.

I created a portfolio just for him, and it grew quickly; he came with a new wound almost every 10 days. But every time he came, he would completely hand over his fat to me, and lay still as I operated on him. Each time, he left, his spirit revived and refreshed. Each time, he brought another pearl, and sometimes he also brought coins, and once in a while, a rare jewel.

The healthy creature and I had many excursions together: into the forest, swimming into the sea, or cruising along the meadows. He was not repelled at all by my scars, or my ugliness. We two laughed from the bottom of our hearts. It was weird, almost wrong to say that this wild creature could laugh, but I was sure he truly did laugh.

-----

"What happened this time? Did some hunters shoot at you?" My friend showed some bullet-holes, and they were nothing major. I removed the metal balls and patched him up, just like usual.

Only this time, it was not so usual.

After it left, I went to the city to get a few drinks. In the tavern, I heard some ominous gossips.

"Damn, I can't forgive that monster."

"I saw him in the forest a couple of days ago, I shot him a couple of times, but it sure as hell didn't kill him."

"A few of my cattle have been eaten."

"Same here, my fields are a mess now."

"That little thief stole my precious jewels!"

"It doesn't deserve to live, but it's so tough, it's a bit scary."

"Yea, I once saw it in a bandage¡KYou think someone's helping it?"

"Of course. Them Zerglings can't bandage themselves."

-----

"So you're a pretty notorious troublemaker. All the farmers are out to get you. Your wounds are from those people right?"

The Zergling let out a small, oppressed growl, as if his secret has leaked out and it was being scolded by a mother.

"I won't say anything bad. Go out into the wild, don't ever dare to come back. They'll kill you someday. In the city, they're seriously contemplating a full-fledged monster hunt."

I stood up and brushed the sand off my pants. "Farewell my one and only friend. I hope we meet each other once again in the corners of the wilderness."

-----

"Bad news! That monster just killed three children!"

"That hellish fiend! It caught three children playing outside, and ate them, bone and all!"

"It mutilated their bodies! We can't even identify these poor children anymore. That damned thing must die now!"

The public was in an outrage. Soon, a local militia was organized and was sent to scour the countryside for the Zergling.

-----

A month passed, and although I though my long-time customer had escaped to the wilderness, I was wrong. He was still sighted constantly near the city, and whenever he was spotted, militia rushed to the scene, their rifles blazing. One chase lasted for 2 whole days, with several hundred militia men trying to chase down the Zergling. It escaped into the end.

-----

Surely¡KSurely he won't come back, I thought to myself. But I still forced myself to visit the tide pool everyday, praying he would not appear.

But he did.

Dragging his bloodied and broken body, it had managed to reach the tide pool and collapsed in the pure, clean water. He saw me, and managed a small grin, and within his mouth, a pearl, brighter then ever, the only light within him, surrounded by carnage and death.

"I'm sorry my friend¡KThis time, no matter how many pearls you give me, I can't treat you¡KI can't¡K"

A pleading growl.

"Don't look at me that way, please. Please¡Kforget about me and go home¡K"

The creature dropped the pearl, and with some effort, stood up, and slowly walked into the ocean.

-----

The next day, my customer brought another pearl, fresh from the seabed. He was still covered in blood, yet he found the energy to find payment. I tried to pretend as if I didn't see him.

-----

Yet he still came back, bringing with him more pearls. The pearls soon accumulated. But I could not cure him.

"Please, stop. It's not that I hate pearls¡KIt's just that I cannot operate on you¡K"

It dropped its newest pearl, and went out in the ocean again.

-----

Within a few days, the creature lay dead inside the tide pool, within its mouth, his final gift to me. The gift that he spent the last of his energies to collect.

The pearls surrounded him, shining, glittering, sparkling: final tears of goodbye¡K


End file.
